The 23 Best Reality TV Shows of All Time Ranked
Reality shows had certainly fought hard to get through their toddler years for a genre that is so difficult to define. And who better to understand their journey than the youth of the 90s? Everyone has their own set of show recollections. For example, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” is my strongest childhood reality TV show memory. Every scene in this 20-season series was fantastic.
In the mid-2000s, it was a major tv reality boom that inundated channels everywhere. Since then, the genre evolved into a vast broadcast carnival of competing programs, famous person clowning, and nonconsensual that has commanded viewership for over twenty years.
Everything revolved around the television. Hope to find love? Go on television. Do you desire to be a creative and activewear force? Go on television. Want you dupe America into thinking you’re more wealthy than you are, create your own slogan, use your celebrity to steal the POTUS, and then perhaps destroy democracy? Lord, go out! Go on television!
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However, as the decade progressed, so did the methods of broadcasting. There are now OTT platforms, for example. So you can now watch TV or use an OTT app to watch your favorite reality shows in Ultra HD definition.
Enough about it!
Let’s jump onto the finest reality television series of all time, including some legitimate shows and also the greatest for which you’ve come.
So, without further ado, let’s get started!
Table of Contents
List of Best Reality TV Shows of All Time!
Survivor
Ah! I would call it A Series to Remember”. The summertime of the 20th century revolutionized reality television eternally after 16 Americans journeyed to Malaysia for a battle like no other. The show is still alive and flourishing 2 decades later, owing to a combination of surprises, fresh benefits, improved tactics, and the game’s inherent flexibility. Jeff Probst, the show’s chat show director, really does not hesitate to take major risks with both the creative, which results in startling events. The program has evolved into the quintessential sociological study, demonstrating that all a play of people chess requires is a varied ensemble of ravenous diehard fans willing to go all in. It has outsmarted, outscored, and outperformed every one of its tv Reality opponents, which is why it is ranked first.
Watch Full Episodes On CBS
Year: 2000 – Present
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Top Chef
Top Chef is yet another great reality program that debuted in 2006 with an altogether new concept and is constantly growing. Few reality programs are created as much as this one, which has never modified its game’s basics. The main format of the show – the rapid-fire task, the knockout challenge, eatery warfare every year – has not altered, nor has the foundation of its selection panel. And all credit goes to their whole creative team, as well as the highly skilled and illustrious judging chefs. However, the show has made clever changes to its rival “Last Chance Kitchen” as well as its entire attitude. Chefs’ aggressive, sometimes destructive rivalry has given rise to an increasingly friendly, sensations environment. As a result, fifteen years into its life, the program has made two of its strongest seasons.
Watch Full Episodes On Bravo (original network), Peacock, and Prime Video
Year: 2006 – Present
American Idol: The Search for a Superstar
An American singing talent contest reality show, created by Simon Fuller, initially aired in 2002 and broadcasted via Fox channel. Such chat show hosts, Oscar champions, and Billboard-topping superstars would not be big names if it weren’t for Idol, a statistics behemoth and established star generator throughout the majority of the 90s and 20s era. The country musical competition ultimately gave birth to personalities such as Simon Cowell, whose impact on the reality Television scene is nothing to scoff at. Certainly, Idol lost track of its initial goal at the conclusion of its last season tenure on Fox as they include Ellen DeGeneres in their judging panel. And regular feuds involving Nicki Minaj! I mean, seriously! What was that? However, its worth continues unquestionably, as seen by ABC’s acquisition of it only two years ago.
Watch Full Episodes On Bravo (original network), Peacock, and Prime Video
Year: 2002 – Present
The Amazing Race
How frequently does the U.S. audience get to witness groups qualify in a television reality show from across the globe at the same time? That’s unusual, isn’t it? The Amazing Race, which debuted on CBS in 2001, is a 33-season long and legendary reality show that I can bet is worth watching (only if this is the kind of genre that interests you). In this CBS running reality show, two teams of 12 persons each race against each other. The competition is divided into parts, with each step demanding the partners to discover hints, explore unfamiliar locations, communicate with natives, and complete other obstacles while discussing the optimal way to get around at a restricted cost.
Watch Full Episodes On CBS (original network), Hulu, Amazon Paramount+
Year: 2001 – Present
Keeping Up With the Kardashians
Who hasn’t heard of Kardashians? And they all became famous after appearing on the reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The show follows the Kardashian-Jenner hybrid family’s personal and billion-dollar empire adventure. The entire series provides audiences with a glimpse into the first-world troubles of one of the world’s wealthiest families. The E! program, which concluded following 20 seasons & 14 years of shooting, mostly followed Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe Kardashian as well as Kylie and Kendall Jenner along with their mother, Kris Jenner. You will see everything from romance to breakups to surrogacy to birth never-ending celebrity pressures, and much more. And one sure you will get at the end of watching the show – is lots of drama and laughter!
Watch Full Episodes On E! (Entertainment Television), Peacock, and Netflix (only the 9th and 10th seasons)
Year: 2007 – 2021
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Big Brother
Big Brother is another great TV reality show that has a fresh take on the very same Dutch series. The name is based on George Orwell’s figure in his novel 1984, which depicts a bunch of people who are houseguests or should I call them house arrests as all of them stay within a uniquely engineered home that is secluded from the external world. Big Brother competitors are continually watched by CCTV cameras and mics as they fight for a large financial reward. The show was so popular that the channel created bounce reality contests starring superstars.
Watch Full Episodes On CBS, Hulu
Year: 2000 – Present
The Great British Bake Off
The Great British Bake Off (GBBO) is a British tv reality show based on a baking contest created by Love Productions. In this, a bunch of unprofessional bakers races against each other in a series of challenges in order to wow two panelists using their culinary talents. For every stage, one participant is removed, and the champion is chosen from among the contenders. The whole show is a cheerful and pleasant program that has captivated people all across the globe.
Watch Full Episodes On BBC, Channel 4
Year: 2010 – Present
The Bachelor
Ever since premiering of The Bachelor in 2002, thousands of nearly entirely beautiful women and sculpted men have converged to the Bachelor manor house, which resembles the best Olive Garden you will ever visit. Among Americans who simply want to hope for romance on Monday evenings, the show has produced five happy marriages, eight stable partnerships, many newborns, and an alcohol-drinking issue. The Bachelor is a contemporary instance of a program that is at the forefront in terms of saving network tv. The program is a constant on the regular schedule during a typical cycle year of tv, going to take up quite so much at 5 hours of content every week.
Watch Full Episodes On ABC, Hulu
Year: 2002 – Present
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The Real Housewives
Name it a con if you feel like it, but I’d prefer to clutter the table with 3 to 4 separate ladies’ variations, and the influence of “The Real Housewives” on the tv Reality business is eventually derived from the concept in its entirety. Take a look at the Erika Jayne and Jen Shah controversies from this year to observe how Housewives has permeated tv, media, social networks, and the rumor business. When tv programs began to fade in the 2000s, the Wives were faulted for overthrowing their allure as a woman-centric, riches daytime soap opera. And Bravo’s Andy Cohen will gladly explain to you that for the betterment or the worst, Ramona and Kyle had become our fresh Erika and Katherine.
Watch Full Episodes On Bravo, Peacock
Year: 2006 – Present
Project Runway
There aren’t many reality series that have created more classic moments ounce for ounce than the Kudos fashion competition. “Project Runway” has always displayed a penchant for the theatrical, from a stroll to Wendy Pepper’s ruined images to teasing Karlie Kloss over supper with the Kushners. Whereas its presenter and panel of judges have shifted over the years, the best combination – a lighthearted Heidi Klum enjoying the show as her own set – stays. Tim Gunn’s warmhearted upbringing of the makers – was indeed a golden era that is difficult for any program to match. Michael Kors threw witticism at a dizzying rate.
Watch Full Episodes On Bravo, Hulu
Year: 2004 – TBA
Taxicab Confessions
The term “we do not even discuss much” ought definitely to be prohibited from the press, because we talk about everything, yet somehow we don’t talk about just the achievements that the reality show “Taxicab Confessions” brought to the TV industry. The ease of the principle – cab large partygoers start opening to cordial drivers and eventually wind up being astonishingly open and honest (and quite often profoundly humorous) regarding relationships and sexuality – used to have repercussions for an era or over with how starlets provided themselves up to the general usage as if nobody was observing.
Watch Full Episodes On HBO
Year: 1995 – 2006
The Paper
The Paper is another solitary fantastic season of tv from MTV in the 2000s. It features the crew of a southern Florida high school paper – an undertaking handled with different extents of earnestness. The program was an eight-episode Trauma assault for anyone who had tried hard in high school, centering on seeking spectacular Amanda even as the paper’s extremely committed (and consequently publicly disliked) publisher. She was the nearest to “Election’s” Cynthia Sparks we’d ever received on a reality program, and she ought to be talked about in the same quiet and respectful terms we often used talk about shows like Survivor, American Idol or The Challenge.
Watch Full Episodes On Amazon Instant Video, Vudu
Year: 1995 – 2006
Queer Eye (Bravo/Netflix, 2003-07, 2018-present)
When the first season of Queer Eye premiered on Bravo network in 2003, it marked nothing less than a revolution. The idea was simple: five gay guys employed their knowledge to “style up” a dumb straight person, however, the simple existence if a proud gay guy being hilarious and accessible on Television was discreetly remarkable and contributed alter minds and attitudes throughout the Country. Moreover, what chemistry between those five gay men! Carson Kressley is all I now live for. Following a couple of years’ break, Netflix resurrected Queer Eye featuring a brand-new Fab Five, and it hit gold once more with a gorgeous group while offering up dramatic life changes that demonstrated these alterations aren’t just tissue.
Watch Full Episodes On Bravo (original network), Netflix
Year: 2003-2007, revived in 2018
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Vanderpump Rules
Vanderpump Rules is yet another fantastic TV reality show that has been airing on Bravo since 2013. It has nine seasons and centers on Lisa Vanderpump and the workers at her West Hollywood cafes and bars. It was created as the initial turn from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Staff members at Lisa Vanderpump’s “beautiful unusual” eatery Sup argue, party, meet up, spy on one other, sip, and battle, and this heinous conduct have transformed into a reality Television treasure. It adds that the cast is full of enthralling and explosive characters, from vicious real queen Stassi to Caveman centerfold Jax. Lisa makes every effort to maintain calm, but let’s be honest: peace is not why we are here! Right?
Watch Full Episodes On Bravo (original network), Peacock
Year: 2013 – Present
The Chair
Even though the Chair was created in NZ, America was the initial place where it was broadcast. The American edition, presented by legendary tennis winner John McEnroe, ran on ABC for 9 episodes. Later on, the remaining four episodes of the American version were terminated from its 13-episode order. McEnroe would subsequently anchor the British edition, which broadcast on BBC One from Aug to Nov in 2002. The show’s structure centers around potential competitors who have undergone comprehensive medical checks before attending. Participants were given IQ tests and their hearts were monitored many times, along with other medical testing, to determine how they would respond to unexpected events. They moved if they were judged fit. Interesting, much!
Watch Full Episodes On ABC (original network), BBC One
Year: 2002
Shark Tank
Shark Tank is surely pulling out the bigger guns with their addictive yet entrepreneurial show format. What started as a frivolous “Trainee” copycat on ABC’s Friday evening cemetery gradually but quietly garnered a following, and a fresher, more passionate viewership than anybody at the channel could have dreamed for. Maybe you actually believed Robert and Barbara were the next big thing in television. Nonetheless, it is the Sharks’ connection and idiosyncrasies as opposed to the sometimes genuine, but occasionally overly-slick competitors that drive the program. That, and the overwhelming couch attraction of believing you could come right up with a terrible concept in which Kevin would pay far too little for a huge amount of equity.
Watch Full Episodes On ABC (original network), BBC One
Year: 2009 – Present
So You Think You Can Dance
Nigel Lythgoe’s dance contest show, which continued in the footprints of another singing reality show American Idol, never achieved the popular peaks of its forerunner. But this simply helped to reinforce the limited attraction of “So You Think You Can Dance,” which tiny but devoted public put their souls and lives in the technically brilliant, passionately sincere, and stunningly elegant performers every summertime. This dancing survival show debuted on Fox channel and serves as the main show of the global So You Think You Can Dance tv series. The judges were frequently wild, the dancers were unconventional, and presenter Cat Deeley was flawless. It was however the performers actually who marketed it, with a skill level that surpassed nearly every previous reality show series.
Watch Full Episodes On Fox (original network), Hulu
Year: 2005 – present
The Challenge
What originated as graduates from Road Rules: All Stars participating in goofy seaside sports rapidly evolved into a war frenzy amongst multinational brands. Every action on the tv program The Challenge is severe, the wounds are real, and the tension never ends, particularly given the money at stake. Do you know the number? It’s $1 million! Possessing the main characters we’ve been following for years produces a complex narrative unlike anything else, immersing us in their continuous romances, hinges, tears, and conflicts. With In all Stars versions, a CBS show, and national adaptations, The Challenge’s potential appears to be limitless.
Watch Full Episodes On MTV (original network), Hulu
Year: 1998 – present
Project Greenlight
Now at its finest, reality television offers us a universe we’ve never experienced earlier, and Matt and Ben’s documentary series achieved exactly that by exposing that creating movies is… truly incredibly difficult! The two celebs assisted budding filmmakers in getting their debut film from paper to camera, with each and every agonizing stage during the process being videotaped for everyone to see. No, the films they created weren’t particularly good, however, the melodrama they created all along the road was genuinely worthy.
Watch Full Episodes On HBO & Bravo (original network)
Year: 2001 – 2005, 2015
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The Mole
The next reality show on our list is “The Mole”, presented by Anderson Cooper, which showed a bunch of participants attempting to earn money via multiple tasks while also attempting to figure out who among them was a subversive. This program is based on the Belgian television series De Mol. We really can not get be enough satisfied with the intrigue and deception, as well as the brain-bending riddles and dying exploits. As even the mole killed a new target per week, the program quickly grew into one of the most riveting reality shows of the early 2000s. The two celeb versions added humor to the play, however, the initial two years are still considered prime Mole. It’s really a pity that the 2008 resurrection could not really save this interesting eavesdropping series.
Watch Full Episodes On ABC & Netflix (original network)
Year: 2001 – 2008, 2022 – present
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Making the Band
Making the Band is indeed a great reality TV show that aired on ABC and MTV channels with many versions, all concentrating on a different music group. Many reality series have attempted to teach us the ins and outs of the music business (R.I.P., Popstars, and Platinum Hit), however, this one not only brought viewers into the rehearsal room but also launched favorite bands such as Danity Kane. The show’s fame was sealed, however, once P. Diddy stepped over as director, grooming potential stars with a hefty dose of constructive criticism. It’s a hilarious piece of initial popular indulgence as well as a depressing glimpse into what it takes to reach the summit of the rankings.
Watch Full Episodes On ABC & MTV (the original network)
Year: 2000 – 2009
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America’s Next Top Model
All we believe we understand well about the modeling business comes from Tyra Banks’ modeling pageant, which was constantly as much an experiment in vanity as it was an honest endeavor to locate a fresh attractive modeling star. That, though, was part of the enjoyment. Tyra, together with large numbers of lovely, spectacular women who disliked midi skirts and did not know how to place even a single arm in a picture, made the program unforgettable, throughout its heydays, whether she was unforgettably continuing to lose her awesome at a finalist who didn’t appear to be concerned enough or significantly trying to pretend to lose consciousness in order to include an acting challenging problem.
Watch Full Episodes On UPN, The CW, and VH1 (all three are original networks)
Year: 2003 – 2018
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Undercover Boss
This reality show was a rating monster from the start, premiering to a comment Bowl XLIV viewership of almost 39 million people and emerging as the best new show of any genre that TV season. However, apart from being a strong performer, it is also a program that, after 11 seasons, still shines a spotlight on the regular Folks who work for very well CEOs and isn’t hesitant to reveal executives’ ignorance of working reality. We’ll also be darned if every hour’s concluding rewards event doesn’t consistently bring pain to our hearts, no matter how blatantly planned the CEOs’ generosity may be.
Watch Full Episodes On CBS (original network), Hulu Plus, fubo TV
Year: 2010 – present
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Wrapping-Up
Ufff! That was quite a big list.
So that concludes our list of the top TV reality programs of all time. Now, choose your genre and share your experience with us.
And don’t forget to tell us which one you liked most in the comments.
Until then, happy watching!